The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-01-20

TAe So1l-Dsatr0ying aad Deadly fsseso
81 ToseAing Tract Fs"As.
lRev Theodore l. Cayiss. Ia n. \. Evanssl's&p
Whole fleets Of merchant vessels enesx
the Aarbor OF New York every week. and
sssract no attention: bgt II . single ship,
either through bsd steering, or fog, Or
tempest should be wrecked % Sandy
Hook. IL would be telegraphed oil over ~
country. So whsnevsr \ single conspac0-
Gus church member becomes dSfauiter,
the fact flies widely over the wires and
through ths prasA Genuine Chrissanity
h not harmed by the occasional fall OF In
divi,iusls who while protesting It yet VIC.
late It's plainess precepts.
Two Or tarse dsfalcatioas have occurTed
recently which teach = most instructive
lesson. Oue Of them--that Of the distin-
the most painful character. To those Of
w who knew and loved tho man, y was a.
most incredible. He was eminent - .
nuancisr, a. . citizen, ~ . geNerous pAs.
lanthropist aud ~ = leader in sabbath
scAool, N. ssionsry aud svsngeltstac enter
prlseA TIE young n,sn OF Portland loved
him; every body trusted him. On the Bah
bath he often OBLIGATED NJ an eloquent lay
preacher In sosns church So co0raete
was the confidence Of his business sssoci-
ates in his integrity that the directors Of
his baak lsft = - the control OF it,
Rpauces almost without exsa1Ss&i0n. The
shocking discovery came at last that for
three or four years he had bsen eubeszling
the funds VI The bank, aud using them for
his own purposes in stock speculatio0sf
A few monshs ago he Vas ono Of the most
houored aud beloved men in Portland;
to-tlsy no u in tho psnitsnsiary. His
Aeaxt-broksn family are crushed under .
blow which brings 10 them the tenderest
and deepest sympathy Of the whole COM
Uunisy.
Did NJ. c. intend 70 steal the money
Il that bank whom he began 10 uae It with
out sathorisyi No; probably not. He h.
tended 70 return it aftsr he had proflted By
the uss Of it SO have scores Of other de-
faulssn whose names will rsadily occur
- our rsadsrA nat the very first UNI
authorised to~cA oe dollar es trust fund /.
under any circunssa.cs4 |. deadly poison.
It b Nike The prick q The disoecting- need. .
" the doctor who y conducting . post
norton" One drop entering the veins
sends death through the system. The whols
11OI0k SouSo OoCOu40S PO10OS10O- s@kVto eeSo =
moment onward the tamperer with ~
sacred trust becomes q completely saslavsd
- the man il who Hampers with the brandy
bottle.
An officer in one Of eur banks many
years ago purioined q sum Of mouey-not
very large-,o enable him to pay for his
small and modest house. Like the Port
land banker, he was . man of most exem-
lplary private life. He told me that he had
not . thought Of keeping ths money, but
fully expected and intended to return
every dime. But every thing went against
him from the moment that he touched that
fatal money. Having been detained from
his tsller's desk for just ono day, tho din
covery came. and with it the wreck OF hid
character. The touch Of trust fund, even
with no intention Of theft, had been deadly
poison
We can imagine the distress q . maa
who is conscious of the deception he ID
prscticinR. and OF the danger that yawns
beneath him. Each day he hopes 10 make
= fortunate turn In his speculations and
be able TO replace the purioined money:
But the rope s~ ings farther and farther Cd
from him every day Is he stands with out
stretched hands on his dizzy lodge OF rocks-
Providenee,. which never deserts . true
and loyal Christian. deserts him. He diet
. thousand deaths in the dread Of deseo
ston, yet excu %. himself constantly by the
artful plea: When can will return tho
money"
This whole terrible business Of tamper
ing with trust funds has been . sabject oi
close and careful observation with me fos
many years. Ihave made some study init
individual cases. They are all alike; they
all prove that any man who, with even the
most sincere intention to replace it, ever
| lays his finger on one dollar Of trust funds,
| commits moral suicide. With the tender.
| est pity do write these sad lines In regard
| to my friend in Portland; but the lesson
ought to be solemnly studied and needed
by every Christian in the land, - we'll u
by every man OF business:
"Revile him not, the Temper hath
snare for all:
And plying tears. not scoru and wrath